Dr Nigel Chaffey, Course Leader: Environmental Science

I studied botany at University College, Swansea, and spent my PhD years at the University of Durham (UK) studying structure-function relationships in grass leaves, concentrating on the role of the grass ligule. After a period of postdoctoral study in electron microscopy of plants at Durham, I spent several years as a Chartered Accountant. In 1994 I was rescued from this and returned to science to study the cell biology of wood formation in trees at the University of Reading/IACR-Long Ashton Research Station. After 3 years there I spent a most interesting year pursuing those studies in Sweden, followed by a further 3 years consolidating that work back at Long Ashton Research Station.

Aside from my teaching interests in 'plant biology', 'plants and people', and marine biology, I have specialist research interests in structure-function relationships in plants, UK intertidal seaweed biodiversity and distribution, and public understanding of science ('communicating the plant biology' message).